RAMALLAH: Three members of an alleged “terror cell” shot and killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank early on Saturday, the first day of Ramadan, brought the Palestinian death toll in the past three days to seven — five in Jenin, one in Bethlehem and one in Hebron.

Anger in the occupied territories intensified after the latest deaths, with Palestinians gathering at the homes of the victims to chant slogans and call for revenge.

Israeli military and security authorities said that the three men killed in the arrest operation were members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group who were responsible for recent attacks on Israeli targets and were preparing to carry out a gun attack in Israel.

Rifles and bombs were found in the bullet-ridden vehicle carrying Khalil Tawalbeh, 24, and Saeb Abahra, 30, both from Jenin, and Saif Abu Labdah, 25, from Tulkarm. 

According to witnesses, more than 200 shots were fired at the vehicle during a gunfight which left four Israeli troops wounded. The bodies of the three men were seized by Israeli forces.

Photographs of the victims carried on social media stoked fury among Palestinians already angered by injuries and arrests during violent clashes with Israeli forces in recent days.

The Israeli Defense Force said in a statement: “Following a joint operation by the IDF, the Shin Bet, the terrorist cell that recently carried out several attacks against the security forces and planned to carry out more attacks shortly, was eliminated tonight.” 

The Islamic Jihad movement vowed that its response would “match the enormity of the Israeli crime.” 

Gaza rulers Hamas said: “We affirm that the policy of murder and assassination pursued by the enemy against our people in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem will not provide them with the alleged security that they are looking for and will not grant them legitimacy on our land.”

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh described the killings as “a horrific crime committed outside the law, whose perpetrators must be held accountable before the International Criminal Court.”

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz and IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi had instructed the IDF to prepare for a “month of escalation,” and ordered an extensive deployment of Israeli security forces in the West Bank and inside Israel.

Israeli security forces have stepped up their arrests in the West Bank and among Arab citizens in Israel in recent days, claiming they have thwarted several planned attacks.

Meanwhile, Palestinian presidency spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudina said: “At a time when many parties are striving to prevent escalation in the holy month of Ramadan, especially the US, Israel is carrying out this programmed attack.”

Israeli policy “poses a threat to security, stability and calm,” he added.

The invasion of Al-Aqsa Mosque by Jewish extremists, accompanied by settlers’ daily crimes, will only add to the atmosphere of tension, Rudina added.

He blamed Israel for the consequences of the dangerous escalation, which will be “dire and dangerous for everyone and the entire region.”

Ahmed Rafiq Awad, head of the Al-Quds Center for Future Studies at Al-Quds University, told Arab News that “these heinous killings will not end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict or the struggle to end the occupation, but will motivate other generations to follow the same path.”

He said: “If the Israeli army believes it can kill Palestinian militants without these incidents affecting Palestinian public opinion, it is wrong.

Awad described the Israeli government led by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett as “weak,” claiming that it “easily responds to the demands of the extremists in the coalition to escalate the violence against the Palestinians in order to ensure its survival.”